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Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup
Start Small, Stay Small is a step-by-step guide to launching a self-funded startup. If you're a desktop, mobile or web developer, this book is your blueprint to getting your startup off the ground with no outside investment. This book intentionally avoids topics restricted to venture-backed startups such honing your investment pitch, securing funding, and figuring out how to use the piles of cash investors keep placing in your lap. This book * You don't have $6M of investor funds sitting in your bank account * You're not going to relocate to the handful of startup hubs in the world * You're not going to work 70 hour weeks for low pay with the hope of someday making millions from stock options There's nothing wrong with pursuing venture funding and attempting to grow fast like Amazon, Google, Twitter, and Facebook. It just so happened that most people are not in a place to do this.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 20, 2019
Only after buying this book based on recommendations from the Internet I realized this book is 10 years old. This by itself shouldn't be an issue, but the author made an unfortunate decision to write extensively about things that are not perennial. So after reading for a while about software tools and practices that are now dead or outdated, describing the limitations of an iPhone 3G, etc, I decided to stop and return the book.
February 8, 2011
As a developer, I'm not necessarily looking to start a business that makes millions of dollars. I'm just looking to start/run a business that lets me work my own hours and live a comfortable life. This book provides some solid advice on starting and running a business by yourself or with a single partner. I think it takes what is practical from "The 4 Hour Work Week" and applies it to starting a small service or product oriented business.
I saw a lot of value from the book on things such as mailing lists and first tier marketing approaches. It also helped instill confidence that you don't need VC funding if you just want to start and run a small business.
I saw a lot of value from the book on things such as mailing lists and first tier marketing approaches. It also helped instill confidence that you don't need VC funding if you just want to start and run a small business.
February 21, 2016
The title is highly inaccurate, it should rather be along these lines to reflect the book's content: A Micropreneur's Guide to Launching a Microbusiness.
The author is also selling his Micropreneur Academy side business which is a - paid online learning
environment and community website for startup founders. Probably, or probably not, there is better content at the 'Academy' than in this book.
The author is also selling his Micropreneur Academy side business which is a - paid online learning
environment and community website for startup founders. Probably, or probably not, there is better content at the 'Academy' than in this book.
February 3, 2024
Maybe update the book a bit. A lot of the information is at least ten years old.
August 3, 2019
كيف تستطيع كمُطور أن تطلق مشاريع تقنية جانبية تدر عليك دخلًا إضافيا
كتاب يُعتبر كدليل لا بأس به للمُطوّرين الذين يرغبون في إطلاق مشاريع (جانبية بشكل أساسي) لتدرّ عليهم دخلا إضافيًا مُحترمًا. العنوان ليس دقيقًا، فلا يركّز على البقاء صغيرًا بقدر ما يركّز على الجوانب اللازمة لبناء مشاريع جانبية صغيرة، لا يفترض بها التحول إلى شركات ناشئة.
محتوى الكتاب قديم نسبيًا، لكن رغم ذلك هو مفيد خاصّة لمن لم يسبق له القراءة في هذا المجال من قبل. هناك جوانب كثيرة في الكتاب لم تكن جديدة علي بحكم أنه سبق وأن قرأت على الأقل كتابًا آخر عالج تقريبا نفس الموضوع، ما أعجبني أكثر هو تركيزه حول كيفية إيجاد المجال الُمحدد الذي يجب التركيز عليه *، كيف تتحقّق من أن حجم السوق فيه كافٍ لتحقيق عائد مادي مُريح، وحتى كيف تتحقّق من فاعلية تحويل الزوّار إلى عملاء حتى قبل إطلاق المُنتج.
لكن ربما أهم فكرة في الكتاب -أو على الأقل بالنسبة لي- هو تقديمه لتصوّر مُخالف للمعهود فيما يخص التركيز على مُنتج واحد في "عالم الشركات الناشئة"، حيث أن المنصوح به عادة هو التركيز على منتج واحد وعدم التشتّت، وهي نصيحة عادة ما تكون مناسبة خاصة إذا نُظر للأمر على أنه شركة ناشئة، لكن لما يتعلّق الأمر بمشاريع [جانبية] صغيرة هدفها توفير دخل مادي دوري/مُتكرّر، فقد يكون الوضع مُختلفًا كلّيّة، فإطلاق مشروع صغير يحل مشكلة حقيقة لمجموعة من الزبائن حتى ولو كان عددهم قليلًا، ثم أتمتة إدارة هذا المشروع بغية الانتقال إلى غيره وإطلاق مشروع آخر ناجح من نفس النوع هي فكرة صالحة وقد تكون أنسب في الكثير من الحالات وللعديد من المُطوّرين.
يركّز الكتاب أيضا على أن التطوير/البرمجة ليست سوى جزءًا يسيرًا من المطلوب لإطلاق مشروع جانبي صغير، وهو أمر عادة ما ينساه (أو يتناساه) المُبرمجون. كما أنه يُخصّص فصلا كاملا للتعهيد الخارجي** خاصة ما تعلّق الأمر بالمهام البسيطة التي يُمكن تعهيدها للمُساعدات الافتراضيات***.
إن كنت مهتما بالموضوع ولم يسبق لك القراءة حول هذا الموضوع، فقد يكون هذا الكتاب مدخلًا لا بأس به لهذا المجال. لكن هناك كتاب آخر يبدو لي بأنه عالج مُختلف هذه الجوانب وغيرها (وبتفصيل أكثر) ويتعلّق الأمر بكتاب
Starting & Sustaining
ستجد مُراجعتي له هنا:
https://www.it-scoop.com/2018/09/star...
قد ترغب أيضًا في الاطّلاع على كتاب
Company of One
رابط مُراجعتي له:
https://www.it-scoop.com/2019/02/comp...
---
* : niche
**: التعهيد الخارجي outsourcing
***: مُساعدات افتراضيات virtual assistants
كتاب يُعتبر كدليل لا بأس به للمُطوّرين الذين يرغبون في إطلاق مشاريع (جانبية بشكل أساسي) لتدرّ عليهم دخلا إضافيًا مُحترمًا. العنوان ليس دقيقًا، فلا يركّز على البقاء صغيرًا بقدر ما يركّز على الجوانب اللازمة لبناء مشاريع جانبية صغيرة، لا يفترض بها التحول إلى شركات ناشئة.
محتوى الكتاب قديم نسبيًا، لكن رغم ذلك هو مفيد خاصّة لمن لم يسبق له القراءة في هذا المجال من قبل. هناك جوانب كثيرة في الكتاب لم تكن جديدة علي بحكم أنه سبق وأن قرأت على الأقل كتابًا آخر عالج تقريبا نفس الموضوع، ما أعجبني أكثر هو تركيزه حول كيفية إيجاد المجال الُمحدد الذي يجب التركيز عليه *، كيف تتحقّق من أن حجم السوق فيه كافٍ لتحقيق عائد مادي مُريح، وحتى كيف تتحقّق من فاعلية تحويل الزوّار إلى عملاء حتى قبل إطلاق المُنتج.
لكن ربما أهم فكرة في الكتاب -أو على الأقل بالنسبة لي- هو تقديمه لتصوّر مُخالف للمعهود فيما يخص التركيز على مُنتج واحد في "عالم الشركات الناشئة"، حيث أن المنصوح به عادة هو التركيز على منتج واحد وعدم التشتّت، وهي نصيحة عادة ما تكون مناسبة خاصة إذا نُظر للأمر على أنه شركة ناشئة، لكن لما يتعلّق الأمر بمشاريع [جانبية] صغيرة هدفها توفير دخل مادي دوري/مُتكرّر، فقد يكون الوضع مُختلفًا كلّيّة، فإطلاق مشروع صغير يحل مشكلة حقيقة لمجموعة من الزبائن حتى ولو كان عددهم قليلًا، ثم أتمتة إدارة هذا المشروع بغية الانتقال إلى غيره وإطلاق مشروع آخر ناجح من نفس النوع هي فكرة صالحة وقد تكون أنسب في الكثير من الحالات وللعديد من المُطوّرين.
يركّز الكتاب أيضا على أن التطوير/البرمجة ليست سوى جزءًا يسيرًا من المطلوب لإطلاق مشروع جانبي صغير، وهو أمر عادة ما ينساه (أو يتناساه) المُبرمجون. كما أنه يُخصّص فصلا كاملا للتعهيد الخارجي** خاصة ما تعلّق الأمر بالمهام البسيطة التي يُمكن تعهيدها للمُساعدات الافتراضيات***.
إن كنت مهتما بالموضوع ولم يسبق لك القراءة حول هذا الموضوع، فقد يكون هذا الكتاب مدخلًا لا بأس به لهذا المجال. لكن هناك كتاب آخر يبدو لي بأنه عالج مُختلف هذه الجوانب وغيرها (وبتفصيل أكثر) ويتعلّق الأمر بكتاب
Starting & Sustaining
ستجد مُراجعتي له هنا:
https://www.it-scoop.com/2018/09/star...
قد ترغب أيضًا في الاطّلاع على كتاب
Company of One
رابط مُراجعتي له:
https://www.it-scoop.com/2019/02/comp...
---
* : niche
**: التعهيد الخارجي outsourcing
***: مُساعدات افتراضيات virtual assistants
May 7, 2020
Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup by Rob Wailing is a very opinionated book on entrepreneurship dedicated to developers.
While usually "opinionated" might conjure up bad connotations, I appreciated the author's honesty and vision - he doesn't try to sell a surefire way to get to a one million dollars or other get rich schemes. The book sets forward a very modest and laser focused goal: launching a small self-funded startup that tries to target a niche market and which draws a moderate revenue stream.
The author's assumptions are logical in context of what he wants to achieve: a low risk, low reward side businesses that complements a day job.
The advice the author gives, also seem to be very well founded - start with market research for a niche product, and when a particular need is identified - prototype a minimum viable product. Concentrate on marketing not on advanced functionality or aesthetics. Because your target is a small niche you can cut corners in a way that's not available to a larger company (e.g doing stuff "by hand" before automating them.)
The book offers rudimentary advice on how to find a market, marketing, how to prototype a product and a sales website, how and what to outsource and what to do when your micro-company starts losing its momentum.
My only complaint about the book is that it's a little too narrow - leaning too heavily on few strategies to achieve a particular goal without going any other alternatives. On the other hand I appreciate that author sticks to what he knows.
Start Small, Stay Small presents an interesting plan for growing your own startup. The author's points are very well made and the book is written in a clear language. Although the book does seem to be some sort of advertisement for the author's startup academy it does so without proselytizing. All in all, a solid book good for a basis for starting your own business.
While usually "opinionated" might conjure up bad connotations, I appreciated the author's honesty and vision - he doesn't try to sell a surefire way to get to a one million dollars or other get rich schemes. The book sets forward a very modest and laser focused goal: launching a small self-funded startup that tries to target a niche market and which draws a moderate revenue stream.
The author's assumptions are logical in context of what he wants to achieve: a low risk, low reward side businesses that complements a day job.
The advice the author gives, also seem to be very well founded - start with market research for a niche product, and when a particular need is identified - prototype a minimum viable product. Concentrate on marketing not on advanced functionality or aesthetics. Because your target is a small niche you can cut corners in a way that's not available to a larger company (e.g doing stuff "by hand" before automating them.)
The book offers rudimentary advice on how to find a market, marketing, how to prototype a product and a sales website, how and what to outsource and what to do when your micro-company starts losing its momentum.
My only complaint about the book is that it's a little too narrow - leaning too heavily on few strategies to achieve a particular goal without going any other alternatives. On the other hand I appreciate that author sticks to what he knows.
Start Small, Stay Small presents an interesting plan for growing your own startup. The author's points are very well made and the book is written in a clear language. Although the book does seem to be some sort of advertisement for the author's startup academy it does so without proselytizing. All in all, a solid book good for a basis for starting your own business.
August 12, 2018
Start Small, Stay Small : A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup (2010) by Rob Walling is a really interesting book for any developers who are looking at trying to build a side hustle using their development skills.
The book isn't about founding a VC funded rapidly growing unicorn. Instead Walling concentrates on trying to start businesses that can make a few thousand per month. Walling has also managed to do this himself numerous times.
The book is packed with advice on how to find a market, how to outsource as much as possible and how to avoid putting in too much time into something that is too ambitious or something unlikely to yield a profit.
The book is 8 years old and so has little about building apps or targeting markets for plug ins for various products. But the book has a lot of really interesting advice and links for anyone considering trying to make a product to make some money but that isn't being built to revolutionise an industry or create a huge product.
The book isn't about founding a VC funded rapidly growing unicorn. Instead Walling concentrates on trying to start businesses that can make a few thousand per month. Walling has also managed to do this himself numerous times.
The book is packed with advice on how to find a market, how to outsource as much as possible and how to avoid putting in too much time into something that is too ambitious or something unlikely to yield a profit.
The book is 8 years old and so has little about building apps or targeting markets for plug ins for various products. But the book has a lot of really interesting advice and links for anyone considering trying to make a product to make some money but that isn't being built to revolutionise an industry or create a huge product.
November 17, 2018
This book is a decent read for any developer thinking of taking their coding project to a business. The content may be a bit dated and the author's voice has a hint of arrogance. However, it has good and practical tips for developers on the importance of not underestimating the role of market research and marketing when trying to monetize a software project.
December 28, 2019
Good book, but a lot of the resources are dated.
January 3, 2023
I've really only enjoyed the first two chapters, which give you insights about talking with people about their problems, not forgetting about marketing (e.g. that ads is actually a tool at your disposal if you have some money) and choosing the right market.
But then the book jumps into giving you a very specific instruction on how to proceed, using questionable approaches to time estimation and outdated SEO tips, which makes you skim through all that as fast as possible.
It actually could've been avoided by separating this "momentary" material into separate chapters or fixed by publishing a new edition, but alas.
But then the book jumps into giving you a very specific instruction on how to proceed, using questionable approaches to time estimation and outdated SEO tips, which makes you skim through all that as fast as possible.
It actually could've been avoided by separating this "momentary" material into separate chapters or fixed by publishing a new edition, but alas.
October 29, 2023
Definitely some great content here, but there’s also lots of content that hasn’t aged well! Specific recommendations on tools and websites are all pretty outdated. But I think the fundamental principles are sound — or at least they were helpful to read. (Can’t speak to the efficacy of course). Would recommend, just not sure if other books would be preferred at this point.
November 6, 2023
Written in 2010 some of the tools feel a bit dated (who remembers digg?), but I think most of the advice is timeless.
I was looking to learn a bit more about building a business, that is outside my comfort zone and skills, and I got what I wanted.
Can't wait to try it out.
I was looking to learn a bit more about building a business, that is outside my comfort zone and skills, and I got what I wanted.
Can't wait to try it out.
October 2, 2023
Brilliant book specifically targeting software developers who want to do everything themselves without fundraising. It's a bit outdated, but a lot of useful ideas in here - I took notes all the way through. Thanks Rob.
December 24, 2021
Books are lagging indicators by design and in today's fast-changing context, when the books get old they quickly become irrelevant. Although the advice provided in the text is built around a bit dated tools, the underlying principles still stay relevant and actionable. Timing aside, the author's 'hands-on' knowledge on the topic still results in some actionable insights for the reader.
February 19, 2017
Reviewed as part of my 100 books challenge: http://jimmylongley.com/blog/books/
Run-on Sentence Summary
A short, no-nonsense guide to starting a small niche business online that clearly comes from experience.
Impressions
A really great set of practical advice that I think will really help me when I decide to explore this area. Its main ideas are about finding and evaluating a market, creating a sales funnel, and outsourcing easy tasks to cheap virtual assistants.
Final Thoughts
It’s a bit prosaic, but over all it is a very good, no-frills manual packed with good advice.
Favorite Quote
"Market Comes First, Marketing Second, Aesthetic Third, and Functionality a Distant Fourth"
Run-on Sentence Summary
A short, no-nonsense guide to starting a small niche business online that clearly comes from experience.
Impressions
A really great set of practical advice that I think will really help me when I decide to explore this area. Its main ideas are about finding and evaluating a market, creating a sales funnel, and outsourcing easy tasks to cheap virtual assistants.
Final Thoughts
It’s a bit prosaic, but over all it is a very good, no-frills manual packed with good advice.
Favorite Quote
"Market Comes First, Marketing Second, Aesthetic Third, and Functionality a Distant Fourth"
December 30, 2014
Very pragmatic and straight-to-the-point guide to starting a small software business. The author understands software developers and identifies common pitfalls to avoid. The book is not a comprehensive reference on small businesses, it's very focused on the issues that a single-developer non-VC startup will face.
December 17, 2014
Clearly distilled from years of experience, the content is excellent. The prose isn't the most beautiful or polished, but that's not why someone would pick this up anyways. If you're interested building software that actually makes money, this book is a great starting point.
March 30, 2013
A should-read book on startups for knowledge workers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
June 27, 2017
Good, but advice is a little dated these days.
I wish there was more context/advice into the business and mindset of micropreneurship.
I wish there was more context/advice into the business and mindset of micropreneurship.
October 5, 2018
Maybe 5 years ago all of these things were useful. Today they are outdated and the entire document shows its age.
April 13, 2023
Listened to the audio book twice at 2x speed. The content is still relevant even though it contains references to hilariously outdated stuff like the Facebook app marketplace. The book is dense with cut-to-the-core advice. No filler.
What stood out to me was the importance placed on marketing. For example email address collection instead of trying to sell the product on the front page. Much higher conversion ratio when combined with for example a drip campaign. Been opposed to such a practice but as the author mentioned in the book such is the case generally with developers. People from other markets are not put off by it as much. Hard bias to shake. Experienced something similar first hand in my business in terms of paid search ads. Personally have always seen search ads as cancer and never clicked them but after giving it a try turns out that my target market does not mind at all!
Liked the pricing discussion the best. Especially that real numbers were used. Example top end pricing for self serve offerings:
Single purchase / monthly price
$29 / $14/m - B2C, hobbies, no money saving
$49 / $19/m - B2C, saves money
$400 / $99/m - B2B, small business (more if serious pain)
$1000 / $199/m - B2B, larger business (more if serious pain)
As of 2023 these numbers might be a tad low but probably mostly in the ballpark if adjusted for inflation. Author mentioned the writings of Patrick McKenzie. Not covered in the book but for comparison Patrick has stated that SaaS companies should aim to charge at a minimum $50 / $100 / $250 per month.
Did not really relate to the chapters on using bottom rate virtual assistants and selling a micro SaaS. Would have thought that most people opting to go solo do it for the lifestyle choice and because they are proud of their craft. Also why bother trying to sell a micro SaaS for a few thousand dollars? Does not really seem to be worth the effort.
Would recommend the book overall to aspiring founders. Contains bunch of great marketing know-how that is applicable to most SaaS businesses. It is fairly well edited albeit dry in a few places. The audio book was well recorded but given how dense the content is it might not be a bad idea to make a summary or have a copy of the book itself.
It will be interesting to read and contrast the author’s new upcoming book The SaaS Playbook. According to the author it will be a spiritual successor to this book.
What stood out to me was the importance placed on marketing. For example email address collection instead of trying to sell the product on the front page. Much higher conversion ratio when combined with for example a drip campaign. Been opposed to such a practice but as the author mentioned in the book such is the case generally with developers. People from other markets are not put off by it as much. Hard bias to shake. Experienced something similar first hand in my business in terms of paid search ads. Personally have always seen search ads as cancer and never clicked them but after giving it a try turns out that my target market does not mind at all!
Liked the pricing discussion the best. Especially that real numbers were used. Example top end pricing for self serve offerings:
Single purchase / monthly price
$29 / $14/m - B2C, hobbies, no money saving
$49 / $19/m - B2C, saves money
$400 / $99/m - B2B, small business (more if serious pain)
$1000 / $199/m - B2B, larger business (more if serious pain)
As of 2023 these numbers might be a tad low but probably mostly in the ballpark if adjusted for inflation. Author mentioned the writings of Patrick McKenzie. Not covered in the book but for comparison Patrick has stated that SaaS companies should aim to charge at a minimum $50 / $100 / $250 per month.
Did not really relate to the chapters on using bottom rate virtual assistants and selling a micro SaaS. Would have thought that most people opting to go solo do it for the lifestyle choice and because they are proud of their craft. Also why bother trying to sell a micro SaaS for a few thousand dollars? Does not really seem to be worth the effort.
Would recommend the book overall to aspiring founders. Contains bunch of great marketing know-how that is applicable to most SaaS businesses. It is fairly well edited albeit dry in a few places. The audio book was well recorded but given how dense the content is it might not be a bad idea to make a summary or have a copy of the book itself.
It will be interesting to read and contrast the author’s new upcoming book The SaaS Playbook. According to the author it will be a spiritual successor to this book.
February 5, 2020
By now this is a fairly old book, originally published in 2010. Many of the concrete suggestions may be out of date. Many of the links to the websites mentioned are broken, that is if they still exist on the web.
Yet, I still found the reading enjoyable and useful. With their skill sets and penchant for creativity, many developers do think about running the shows of their own, but actually running a business requires a mindset as well as a skill set that is quite different from what they already know. Being a software developer himself, the author Rob Walling understands how to close the chasm so that software developers can expand into more business-oriented aspects of things while transferring their development skills into the environment of so-called "micropreneurship."
It is also useful for software entrepreneurs who do not wish to default to venture capital-backed business model. Most VC-backed ventures at some point get intense pressure to scale (even at the expense of shooting their own feet), but there are business opportunities that are made possible only by curbing the desire to scale. Walling does a good job of guiding readers through that process to "think effectively small."
While few things are really new if you have been in the startup ecosystem and specific contents are indeed obsolete, the book may still be valuable for its gist of how small-business entrepreneurs can stick to their "effectively small" plans.
Yet, I still found the reading enjoyable and useful. With their skill sets and penchant for creativity, many developers do think about running the shows of their own, but actually running a business requires a mindset as well as a skill set that is quite different from what they already know. Being a software developer himself, the author Rob Walling understands how to close the chasm so that software developers can expand into more business-oriented aspects of things while transferring their development skills into the environment of so-called "micropreneurship."
It is also useful for software entrepreneurs who do not wish to default to venture capital-backed business model. Most VC-backed ventures at some point get intense pressure to scale (even at the expense of shooting their own feet), but there are business opportunities that are made possible only by curbing the desire to scale. Walling does a good job of guiding readers through that process to "think effectively small."
While few things are really new if you have been in the startup ecosystem and specific contents are indeed obsolete, the book may still be valuable for its gist of how small-business entrepreneurs can stick to their "effectively small" plans.
June 8, 2020
This is a great book - for 2010 when it was published. It’s still a useful book for 2020.
For startup founders, it gives an alternative option of chasing unicorns. The default mythology of how startups should operate. Instead, this offers a more realistic, and founder sane, approach to creating a software business.
It makes starting a startup easier. Less overthinking. Just do it. And if it succeeds, there’s always the option to pivot towards a unicorn.
The overall structure of the book works well. Especially in the context of a technology SaaS product (which the author specializes) for a few hundred customers.
- Approach - the best chapter. Reaction against venture capital.
- Finding a niche and micro segmenting target customer
- Importance of a product website
- Product, suggestion to outsource
- Startup market - email email emails
- Using virtual assistants (concierge approach).
- If successful what next: continue being a microprenuer or pivot to unicorn.
The techniques, which take up the bigger proportion of pages, are woefully out of date. Google Ads, email marketing.
Suggest:
- Simplifying to the approach and framework
- Updating the techniques to 2020 methods, which could make or break a new startup.
For startup founders, it gives an alternative option of chasing unicorns. The default mythology of how startups should operate. Instead, this offers a more realistic, and founder sane, approach to creating a software business.
It makes starting a startup easier. Less overthinking. Just do it. And if it succeeds, there’s always the option to pivot towards a unicorn.
The overall structure of the book works well. Especially in the context of a technology SaaS product (which the author specializes) for a few hundred customers.
- Approach - the best chapter. Reaction against venture capital.
- Finding a niche and micro segmenting target customer
- Importance of a product website
- Product, suggestion to outsource
- Startup market - email email emails
- Using virtual assistants (concierge approach).
- If successful what next: continue being a microprenuer or pivot to unicorn.
The techniques, which take up the bigger proportion of pages, are woefully out of date. Google Ads, email marketing.
Suggest:
- Simplifying to the approach and framework
- Updating the techniques to 2020 methods, which could make or break a new startup.
October 23, 2023
I read this book over a decade ago, but realize today that I haven't written a review for it. This was one of the first business books that made sense to me, someone who wanted to be an entrepreneur, but not necessarily one that takes on venture funding or has a multi-million dollar exit (although, I'm not gonna lie, I wouldn't turn one down).
This book inspired me to build multiple businesses over the years, multiple streams of income really, including a course, a few kindle books, a job board, snack subscription service, time-tracking and billing SaaS, and more. For years these were my sole source of income, as they combined to make what a full-time income would, and I got to choose what I worked on and where I worked on it!
This book lays out the mentality and strategies needed to think through multiple streams of income, and validates the approach of living off of your hustles instead of needing to raise venture capital to call yourself an entreprenur. To anyone hungry to start businesses, or if you are already running a bootstrapped business, this book is for you. There are few authors who write in such a transparent and tactical manner as Rob Walling. He knows his stuff.
This book inspired me to build multiple businesses over the years, multiple streams of income really, including a course, a few kindle books, a job board, snack subscription service, time-tracking and billing SaaS, and more. For years these were my sole source of income, as they combined to make what a full-time income would, and I got to choose what I worked on and where I worked on it!
This book lays out the mentality and strategies needed to think through multiple streams of income, and validates the approach of living off of your hustles instead of needing to raise venture capital to call yourself an entreprenur. To anyone hungry to start businesses, or if you are already running a bootstrapped business, this book is for you. There are few authors who write in such a transparent and tactical manner as Rob Walling. He knows his stuff.
July 18, 2020
Great practical advice
This book is a little dated, being over 10 years old is it hard at times to determine to what extent the advice still holds true in today's tech environment. My research around the topic from other sites and podcasts seems to corroborate the core lessons from the book. For me the tske home message is really focus on the marketablibity and reach of your product. Without that, everything else is meaningless. Whilst modern day seo techiniques and tools may have changed with the times, the fundamentals of the advice from this book I feel still ring true. It would be great for rob to issue a new revised version to keep it fresh, as a lot of the example companies and case studies are very old. I feel that would help lend it a bit more credibility. All in all, a great practical guide from which Ive highlighted and referenced a lot. Just requires a bit of leg work to understand how some of the content translates to modern day
This book is a little dated, being over 10 years old is it hard at times to determine to what extent the advice still holds true in today's tech environment. My research around the topic from other sites and podcasts seems to corroborate the core lessons from the book. For me the tske home message is really focus on the marketablibity and reach of your product. Without that, everything else is meaningless. Whilst modern day seo techiniques and tools may have changed with the times, the fundamentals of the advice from this book I feel still ring true. It would be great for rob to issue a new revised version to keep it fresh, as a lot of the example companies and case studies are very old. I feel that would help lend it a bit more credibility. All in all, a great practical guide from which Ive highlighted and referenced a lot. Just requires a bit of leg work to understand how some of the content translates to modern day
March 19, 2020
It's a quick read with some very direct advice. Find a niche market, setup some marketing to test if it's valid, build the product and launch it. This specifically focuses on super tiny markets where you can generate $500 - $2,000 profit/month. Once you secure one, then do it again and run them in parallel. The book is a bit dates so the references are definitely a decade old but never the less, it's still all very valid info.
Finally, it's not really focused toward developers. Any tech savvy individual can appreciate this book. It even goes on to suggest you shouldn't write your own apps. ^_^
Finally, it's not really focused toward developers. Any tech savvy individual can appreciate this book. It even goes on to suggest you shouldn't write your own apps. ^_^
November 25, 2021
I think the book was excellent when it was published, but now it is outdated: most links are broken, and cost calculations are not relevant.
I felt that the book's main goal was to convert me into a subscription to the author's services. It is not bad if the services are suitable and if the book is updated and relevant for today.
I want to thank the author for one crucial idea that he pushed through the book - outsourcing the work. It is hard to outsource coding when you can literally code everything. I am not sure that I am still convinced, but I will weigh such a way of creating products.
I don't recommend it.
I felt that the book's main goal was to convert me into a subscription to the author's services. It is not bad if the services are suitable and if the book is updated and relevant for today.
I want to thank the author for one crucial idea that he pushed through the book - outsourcing the work. It is hard to outsource coding when you can literally code everything. I am not sure that I am still convinced, but I will weigh such a way of creating products.
I don't recommend it.
May 22, 2020
I was between a 3 star and 4 star rating. The reason for the 4 star is the content of the evergreen ideas. Unfortunately, between 2009/2010 and now (2020) we’ve seen massive changes in the software world and the quest of the author to give specific pointers and URLs makes the book feel very dated.
The base ideas are good, useful and applicable, but I wish the book would stop selling or be updated to recent knowledge.
The base ideas are good, useful and applicable, but I wish the book would stop selling or be updated to recent knowledge.
August 1, 2023
There were typos throughout the book. Parts of the book were outdated as the author talked about operating systems and electronic devices that are no longer used. He promoted his own business a lot. Overall, the author provided lots of info about starting and running small businesses such as how to gauge the market, attract customers, sell and market the product or service, outsource and automate operations.
January 23, 2017
Interesting book. I have mixed feelings as it's a mix of full-on tech startup and "freedom business", taking elements of both. It presents the dynamics of starting a business, evaluating niches and need, and more, and does it well. I don't agree the branding, especially as a "startup book", but good enough book.
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